Cable fixer for an electronic device

ABSTRACT

A cable fixer includes a clamp member and a cable-collecting body. The clamp member has upper and lower clamping arms, a lateral sidewall interconnecting the clamping arms, and a bolt extending outwardly from the lateral sidewall in a direction opposite to the clamping arms. The body has a rear wall formed with an opening for access thereinto. The opening is defined by an opening-confining wall that includes a leading portion defining an entrance and a terminating portion having a dimension smaller than that of the leading portion. The body further has two resilient restricting elements extending from opposite sides of the opening-confining wall into the terminating portion. The body can be mounted on the bolt of the clamp member by pushing the cable-collecting body against the bolt in such a manner that the latter extends into the terminating portion against urging action of the restricting elements.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a cable fixer, more particularly to a cablefixer for holding a plurality of cables of an electronic device (such ascables for connecting a computer to several peripheral accessories) in aneat and tidy manner.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Due to rapid advance of modern electronic technology, more and moreelectronic devices, such as a central processing unit of a computer,require a large number of cables for connecting the same with theperipheral accessories, such as a printing machine, a fax machine, and adigital copier.

A network system generally known as Ethernet is required to beestablished in a firm, a business establishment or an office, where aplurality of computers are to share a single printer and to accessshared files (such as photographs, MP3s, Spreadsheets documents) via aHub.

A server and a modem cooperatively play a major role when pluralities ofinterconnected computers in the LAN are to access the Internet. Sinceseveral minor electronic apparatuses (such as gateway devices, routedevices, Hubs) are also needed in forming the Ethernet, the larger theapparatus becomes the more the cables are needed for interconnecting thecomputers. In case, the cables disposed around the electronic device arenot arranged in an orderly way, accidentally collision to the cables bythe user may occur, and consequently decreases an aesthetic appearanceof the entire environment.

Generally, a conventional cable fixer (not shown) is mounted securely onthe wall of housing to hang the cable thereon, thereby keeping the sameaway from the floor. However, since the electronic device (such as apersonal computer) is required to be shifted from one place to anotherdue to several reasons, the conventional cable fixer left on the wallmay decrease the aesthetic appearance of the ambient surrounding. Thus,a more efficient cable fixer is badly required to keep a plurality ofcables of an electronic device in a tidy manner.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The object of the present invention is to provide a cable fixer that canbe mounted on a table edge and that can hold a plurality of cables in aneat and tidy manner in order to eliminate the aforesaid disadvantage ofthe conventional cable fixer.

In one aspect of the present invention, a cable fixer is provided toinclude: a clamp member for clamping a table edge, and including upperand lower clamping arms, a lateral sidewall interconnecting the upperand lower clamping arms, and a bolt extending outwardly from the lateralsidewall in a direction opposite to the upper and lower clamping arms;and a cable-collecting body having a rear wall formed with an openingfor access thereinto, the opening being defined by an opening-confiningwall that includes a leading portion defining an entrance and aterminating portion having a dimension smaller than that of the leadingportion, the cable-collecting body further having a pair of resilientrestricting elements extending from opposite sides of theopening-confining wall into the terminating portion. After positioningthe clamp member on the table edge, the cable-collecting body can bemounted on the bolt of the clamp member by pushing the cable-collectingbody against the bolt in such a manner that the latter extends into theterminating portion against urging action of the restricting elements,thereby preventing untimely removal of the cable-collecting body fromthe clamp member.

In a second aspect of the present invention, a cable fixer is providedto include: a clamp member for clamping a table edge, and includingupper and lower clamping arms, a lateral sidewall interconnecting theupper and lower clamping arms, and a bolt extending outwardly from thelateral sidewall in a direction opposite to the upper and lower clampingarms, the bolt including an enlarged head and a shank having across-section smaller than the enlarged head; and a cable-collectingbody having a rear wall formed with an opening for access thereinto, theopening being defined by an opening-confining wall that includes aleading portion defining an entrance and a terminating portion having adimension smaller than that of the leading portion, the cable-collectingbody further having a pair of resilient restricting elements extendingfrom opposite sides of the opening-confining wall into the terminatingportion. After assembly, the shank of the head is received snugly withinthe terminating portion of the opening by virtue of the restrictingelements, thereby preventing untimely disengagement of thecable-collecting body from the clamp member.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other features and advantages of this invention will become moreapparent in the following detailed description of the preferredembodiment of this invention, with reference to the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

FIG. 1(A) is a perspective view of a clamp member employed in the cablefixer of the present invention;

FIG. 1(B) is a rear view of cable-collecting body employed in the cablefixer of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view, illustrating how the clampmember is inserted into the cable-collecting body in order to form thecable fixer of the present invention; and

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the cable fixer of the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCCRIPTIONS OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIGS. 1(A) and 1(B), the preferred embodiment of a cablefixer according to the present invention is shown to include a clampmember 10 and a cable-collecting body 11.

The clamp member 10 includes upper and lower clamping arms 101,102, alateral sidewall 104 interconnecting the upper and lower clamping arms101,102, and a bolt 103 extending outwardly from the lateral sidewall104 in a direction opposite to the upper and lower clamping arms101,102. The bolt 103 has an enlarged head 1030 and a shank 1031 havinga cross-section smaller than the enlarged head 1030. When it is desiredto mount the clamp member 10 on the edge of a table (not shown), theupper and lower clamping arms 101, 102 are pressed onto the table edge.A fastener screw (not shown) can be inserted through a hole 1021 in thelower clamping arms 102 so as to engage threadedly the table, therebypreventing untimely falling of the clamp member 10 from the table edge.

The cable-collecting body 11 has opposite front and rear wall. FIG. 1Billustrates a rear view of the cable-collecting body 11. The rear wallof the cable-collecting body 11 is formed with an opening 111 for accessinto the body 11. The opening 111 is defined by an opening-confiningwall 111W (see FIG. 2) that includes a leading portion 1111 defining anentrance and a terminating portion 1112 having a dimension smaller thanthat of the leading portion 1111. The cable-collecting body 11 furtherhas a pair of resilient restricting elements 1113 (see FIG. 2) extendingfrom opposite sides of the opening-confining wall 111W into theterminating portion 1112. The terminating portion 1112 has a dimensionthe same as the shank 1031 in order to receive snugly the shank 1031within the terminating portion 1112 of the opening 111. Preferably, therestricting elements 1113 can be resilient protrusions made from plasticmaterial. Alternately, a pair of resilient strips can serve as theresilient elements 1113.

Referring to FIG. 2, when it is desired to fasten the cable-collectingbody 11 on the bolt 103 of the clamp member 10, the cable-collectingbody 11 is pushed against the bolt 103 in such a manner that the latterextends into the terminating portion 1112 against urging action of therestricting elements 1113 (shown by arrow X in FIG. 2), therebyretaining the shank 1031 of the bolt 103 within the terminating portion1112 of the opening 111 in the rear wall of the cable-collecting body11. After assembly, the shank 1031 of the bolt 103 is received snuglywithin the terminating portion 1112 of the opening 111 by virtue of therestricting elements 1113, thereby preventing untimely disengagement ofthe cable-collecting body 11 from the clamp member 10 (see FIG. 3).Under this condition, the cable-collecting body 11 is preventeddisengagement from the clamp member 10. An important aspect to note isthat the front wall of the cable-collecting body 11 is formed with aplurality of connecting ports (not visible) of different configurationsfor receiving the coupling ends of the connecting cables (not shown).Since the structure and configuration of the connecting ports are notthe relevant features of the present invention, a detailed descriptionof the same is omitted herein for the sake of brevity.

FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of the cable fixer of the presentinvention. The clamp member 10 of the cable fixer can be detachablymounted on the table edge, thereby minimizing the occupying space of thecable fixer of the present invention. In addition, the problem ofdamaging the wall of the room due to fixing of the conventional cablefixer is eliminated. The aesthetic appearance of the wall is maintainedsubsequently. 2) The cables connecting for the electronic device (such acomputer) to the peripheral accessories (such as printer, a fax machine)can be kept within the cable-collecting body 11 in a neat-and-tidymanner, thereby enhancing an aesthetic appearance of the workingenvironment, i.e. where one is working. The occupying space of thecables around the electronic device is according minimized.

While the present invention has been described in connection with whatis considered the most practical and preferred embodiments, it isunderstood that this invention is not limited to the disclosedembodiments but is intended to cover various arrangements includedwithin the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as toencompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements.

1. A cable fixer comprising: a clamp member for clamping a table edge,and including upper and lower clamping arms, a lateral sidewallinterconnecting the upper and lower clamping arms, and a bolt extendingoutwardly from the lateral sidewall in a direction opposite to the upperand lower clamping arms; and a cable-collecting body having a rear wallformed with an opening for access thereinto, the opening being definedby an opening-confining wall that includes a leading portion defining anentrance and a terminating portion having a dimension smaller than thatof the leading portion, the cable-collecting body further having a pairof resilient restricting elements extending from opposite sides of theopening-confining wall into the terminating portion; wherein, afterpositioning the clamp member on the table edge, the cable-collectingbody can be mounted on the bolt of the clamp member by pushing thecable-collecting body against the bolt in such a manner that the latterextends into the terminating portion against urging action of therestricting elements, thereby preventing untimely removal of thecable-collecting body from the clamp member.
 2. The cable fixer asdefined in claim 1, wherein the bolt includes an enlarged head and ashank integrally formed with the enlarged head, the terminating portionhaving a dimension the same as the shank in order to receive snugly theshank within the terminating portion of the opening.
 3. A cable fixercomprising: a clamp member for clamping a table edge, and includingupper and lower clamping arms, a lateral sidewall interconnecting theupper and lower clamping arms, and a bolt extending outwardly from thelateral sidewall in a direction opposite to the upper and lower clampingarms, the bolt including an enlarged head and a shank having across-section smaller than the enlarged head; and a cable-collectingbody having a rear wall formed with an opening for access thereinto, theopening being defined by an opening-confining wall that includes aleading portion defining an entrance and a terminating portion having adimension smaller than that of the leading portion, the cable-collectingbody further having a pair of resilient restricting elements extendingfrom opposite sides of the opening-confining wall into the terminatingportion; wherein, after assembly, the shank of the head is receivedsnugly within the terminating portion of the opening by virtue of therestricting elements, thereby preventing untimely disengagement of thecable-collecting body from the clamp member.
 4. A cable fixercomprising: a clamp member, including upper and lower clamping arms forclamping a table edge and a bolt extending outwardly in a directionopposite to the upper and lower clamping arms; and a cable-collectingbody having a rear wall formed with an opening for access thereinto, theopening being defined by an opening-confining wall that includes aleading portion defining an entrance and a terminating portion having adimension smaller than that of the leading portion, the cable-collectingbody further having a pair of resilient restricting elements extendingfrom opposite sides of the opening-confining wall into the terminatingportion; wherein, after positioning the clamp member on the table edge,the cable-collecting body can be mounted on the bolt of the clamp memberby pushing the cable-collecting body against the bolt in such a mannerthat the latter extends into the terminating portion against urgingaction of the restricting elements, thereby preventing untimely removalof the cable-collecting body from the clamp member.
 5. The cable fixeras defined in claim 1, wherein the bolt includes an enlarged head and ashank integrally formed with the enlarged head, the terminating portionhaving a dimension the same as the shank in order to receive snugly theshank within the terminating portion of the opening.
 6. A cable fixercomprising: a clamp member for clamping a table edge, and includingupper and lower clamping arms, a lateral sidewall interconnecting theupper and lower clamping arms, and a bolt extending outwardly from thelateral sidewall in a direction opposite to the upper and lower clampingarms, the bolt including an enlarged head and a shank having across-section smaller than the enlarged head; and a cable-collectingbody having a rear wall formed with an opening for access thereinto, theopening being defined by an opening-confining wall that includes aleading portion defining an entrance and a terminating portion having adimension smaller than that of the leading portion, the cable-collectingbody further having a pair of resilient restricting elements extendingfrom opposite sides of the opening-confining wall into the terminatingportion; wherein, after assembly, the shank of the head is receivedsnugly within the terminating portion of the opening by virtue of therestricting elements, thereby preventing untimely disengagement of thecable-collecting body from the clamp member.